Improvement in rod-couplings



l 2 Sheets-Sheet.l. A.v. ABBOTTJ I Rod Coupling.

No. 197,509. Patented Nov. 27, 1877.

' 1 Fig.1.

Fig.2.

Witnesses... Inventor.

2 SheetsSheet 2. A.V. ABBOTT Rod Coupling."

Nb.197,509. Patented Nov. 27,1877.

N.PETER& PHOTO-LI HnGRAPNER, WASHINGTON D c NIT- ARTHUR v. ABBOTT, OFBROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN ROD-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 197,509, dated November27, 1877; application filed October 12,1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ARTHUR V. ABBOTT, of the city of Brooklyn, State ofNew York, have invented a new and useful Means of Uniting and Lookingtogether Tubing, Rods, Shafting, Wires, and the like; and to enablethose skilled in the art to-make and use the same, I now fully andparticularly describe my said invention, having reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows my coupling as in use.Fig. 2 shows a vertical section. of the same. Fig. 3 shows a verticalsection of the sleeve. Fig. 4 shows the ends of the rods to be united,and Figs. 5 and 6 show rod ends of different form.

'Like letters designate like parts in all the figures."

Prior to my invention'it has been customary to unite the ends of rods,tubes, wires, shafting, &c., by cutting a right-hand screw-thread on theend of one rod, and a left-hand screwthread on the end of the other rod,and then to run them into a sleeve or collar having a right-hand threadat one end, and a left-hand thread at the other, made to correspond withthe thread on the rods, until the two ends of the rods met at or nearthe center of the sleeve.

It has also been customary to so, cut the thread upon the ends of therods that it should run from one onto the other in a continuous right orleft hand thread, and then the sleeve, with its thread made tocorrespond, was made to ride over the two ends when held together asthough they were an unbroken rod. It has also been customary, when thislast method has been used, to lock the ends of the rods together bydovetailing them into each other, and then, when the sleeve was run overthem, they could not turn independentlyor separate so long as the sleeveremained firmly in its place.

In all of the above methods it has been oustomary, in order to keep thesleeve in position,

to tap in a set-screw, running through the sleeve, and impinging uponthe ends of the rods within the sleeve, or to use a lockingnut.

When set-screws or other similar devices have not been used, it has beenfound that either the sleeve or rod would work one way or the otheruntil one of them became loose.

culty was met with whenever the rods were subjected to any jar or actionwhich tended to loosen the sleeve. The set-screws and nuts werepartially successful in overcoming this defect; but they add materiallyto the expense of the joint, to weaken the sleeve, and mar itsappearance. I

My invention does away with all the above defects, and is as follows:

I take the two ends of my rods, tubes, shafting, wire, 860., a a, whichare to be joined together, and bevel off each end in any known manner,at any angle, but preferably about forty-five degrees, as at b b. I thencut on one of them a right-hand screw-thread, and on the other aleft-hand screw-thread, as at c c. I then take a sleeve or collar, cl,of suitable caliber relatively tothe size of the rod, and of sufficientlength to lap over the ends of the two rods when joined together asufficient distance to make the joint strong and secure. I then cut aright-handed female screw-thread from oneend of the sleeve to beyond themiddle thereof, as at e, and a left-handed female screwthread from theother end of the sleeve to beyond the middle thereof, as at f. Thedistance beyond the center of the sleeve to which the right and lefthand threads, respectively, are to be cut will depend upon the length ofthe interlocking faces or portions of the rods. This thread is made tofit'the thread on the rods to be joined. I then place the two rods insuch position that the plane of the bevel on the end of each (whichbevels should be of the same degree) shall be parallel, and I hold themthere, so that they shall not turn or rotate. I do this by holding therods firmlyin the hands, or by clamping them in any suitable device; butthey must be capable of longitudinal motion.

The method used by me in making many thousands of connections on theBrooklyn and New York suspension-bridge is to have two clamps or vises,the one stationary and the other capable of movement toward and from theother on ways of sufficient length to allow the necessary movement. Eachclamp holds one of the rods. I then place the threaded sleeve betweenthe two ends, and bring them together until the thread on the ends ofthe rods shall engage with their respective female thread in the sleeve,and then, by rotating the sleeve, the ends are made to approach eachother within the sleeve by the action of the right and left hand threadson the rods, m1til,

finally, the faces of the bevels are brought into close contact witheach other. Thebevels will then jam against each other at or near thecenter of the sleeve, as at g,- the sleeve cannot any longer be rotated,and the joint is made.

It will now be found that the sleeve is locked and cannot move eitherway, because of the right and left hand thread on the ends of the rods,respectively, and the rods themselves cannot rotate independently ofeach other by reason of the impact of the beveled faces.

To avoid the necessity of very accurate measurement and very carefulworkmanship, Insually do not thread the immediate center of my sleeve,nor the extreme ends, of my rods, and I reduce the size of my rods at.their extreme ends, so that they shall not engage with any screw-thread.

When I use my invention to couple shafting, and whenever I desire to useas light a sleeve as possible, and, therefore, wish to avoid any tensilestrain, I prefer not to. use

beveled ends on my shafting-rods; but, in-

stead, I cut a square section out of the end-of j each rod, as seen at hin Figs. 5 and 6, and when this is done the strain of their impact is atright angles to the line of shafting, and

there is no tensile strain or tendency to push away from each otherlongitudinally,

I do not limit myself to any particular form of locking ends. It is onlyessential that. the

ends should be so formed that they may pass by one another and lock eachother, when the rotation of the sleeve causes them to approach eachother.

In practice, especially in-j-oining tubing, as well as rods, &c., it issometimes desirable that the tubes should not be weakened at or insideof my sleeve, from the center to each end, in such manner that it shallbe of greater inside diameter at the ends than in the center,

5 and so that the thread. in its inside shall almost or entirely run outor disappear at theend of the sleeve, as at i, Fig. 2. The thread on thetube, in this instance, is also gradually decreased from or near thevery end thereof backward until, at the point contiguous to the end ofthe sleeve, when the joint is perfected,

it almost or entirely disappears.. This is shown in. Fig. 2, at k, nThus I are enabled to retain Z almost the entire strength of the tube orred,

it not being appreciably weakened by the J screw-thread cut in it.

I do. not lay claim to this gradually-decrees thread, except incombination as herein.

1 after claimed.

I do. not limit myself to any particular size 5 of rod or sleeve, nor toany particular material, My coupling can. be used in making connectionsv in timber-work as well as in thernetf als.

I claim as my invention desire to secure;

by Letters Pa e I. A sleeve with right. and; left. hand} threads,

f in combination with the locking and threaded ends of rods,substantially as and; for the purpose described 2, A sleeve having aconical here from each end, diminishiagteward the center, and right Qand left hand screw-threads, in combination ;with the rods havinglocking, tapered, and

Zthreaded ends, substantially as and for the.

purpose specified.

' ARTHUR. V. ABBOTT;

Witnesses:

B. V. A BOTT, Bmurs Annorr.

